2 firefighters die in Philadelphia warehouse fire

PHILADELPHIA — Two firefighters battling a massive blaze at a vacant warehouse on Monday were killed when an adjacent furniture store they were inspecting collapsed, burying them in a pile of debris, authorities said.

It took about two hours to extract the bodies of Lt. Robert Neary, 60, and firefighter Daniel Sweeney, 25, because of all the debris, fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. Two other firefighters were rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of these two firefighters," Mayor Michael Nutter said. "It just hurts a great, great deal."

The blaze, in the city's Kensington section, started around 3:15 a.m. and quickly spread. Dozens of nearby homes were evacuated, and the firefighters were trying to make sure that the blaze was out at the furniture store, where the flames had spread, when a wall and roof collapsed, Ayers said.

Both firefighters were respected members of the fire department and had been commended for a long list of rescues over the years, Ayers said.

Neary, a 37-year veteran of the fire department, served in the Army reserves from 1972 to 1982 and worked as a police officer before joining the fire department. He is survived by his wife, two grown sons and a grown daughter.

He was a mentor to young firefighters like Sweeney and had great instincts while fighting fires, said Timothy McShea, vice president of the firefighters union.

"He was just a great guy, knew the job very well," McShea said. "He's like one of these old-school guys. They just have a second sense about them."

Sweeney, who was single, is survived by his parents. His father is recently retired fire Capt. David Sweeney.

McShea called him "a good young lad."

"Danny was a young, aggressive firefighter," he said.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately determined.

City officials said the warehouse property's corporate owner, York Street Property Development, had been cited three times since November and a fourth citation was issued after a March 29 inspection following a community meeting. Officials said that the city was preparing to take the owner to court as required after the first three violations and that, separately, a sheriff's sale was expected this summer because of unpaid tax and water bills.

Fran Burns, commissioner of the city's Licenses & Inspections department, said York Street Property Development had a zoning permit good through July 2013 for an 81-unit development.

"This isn't a landowner or property owner we couldn't find; this is someone who had a very active interest in the property and has an active and open zoning permit for development," Burns said. "I don't understand, when you have a zoning permit for an 81-unit development, that you don't understand your responsibility to have a secure property."

The New York-based law firm Herrick, Feinstein, representing York Street Property Development, called the fire "an unspeakable tragedy."

"Our condolences and heartfelt prayers go out to the families of Lt. Neary and Firefighter Sweeney, and to their grieving colleagues at the Philadelphia Fire Department," attorney David Feuerstein said in a statement. "We are cooperating, and will continue to do so, with all law enforcement and government agencies as they investigate this fire."

Everett Gillison, deputy mayor for public safety, said he will be talking to the district attorney about whether a criminal negligence prosecution is warranted.

Gillison said city officials were to meet Tuesday with attorneys for the owners, whom they identified as Nahman Lichtenstein, along with Yechiel and Michael Lichtenstein. Burns said the owners, who through York Street Property Development and another firm, were linked to perhaps 34 other properties in the city. A message left for a Philadelphia law firm officials said represented them was not returned Monday evening, nor was a message left for Nahman Lichtenstein.

Michael Lichtenstein told the blog Hidden Daily Philadelphia last month that a development planned for the warehouse had stalled because of the economy. He said he wasn't sure who was responsible for managing and maintaining the property but "the building is being kept up."

Residents tried to seal up the building, cleaned litter around the premises and reported their concerns to the city over the past year, said Jeff Carpineta, president of the East Kensington Neighbors Association.

They also wrote a letter several months ago to an attorney listed in public records as the contact for the owners, Carpineta said. The structure was repeatedly left open and unsecure, he said.

"The building was becoming an anxiety because a lot of us were concerned about the building burning down," he said.

Carpineta blasted city officials for not taking the initiative to secure the premises. The cost would have been minuscule compared with the damage wrought by the blaze, he said.

This photo provided by the Philadelphia Fire Department shows Lt. Robert Neary, a 37-year veteran of the department who died while battling a massive blaze at an abandoned warehouse in Philadelphia on Monday, April 8, 2012. Neary, 60, and firefighter Daniel Sweeney, 25, were killed when an adjacent furniture store they were inspecting collapsed, burying them in a pile of debris, authorities said. (AP Photo/Philadelphia Fire Dept. via the Philadelphia Inquirer)
"At what point does the city say, `We need to do what's right'?" Carpineta said.

As the fire spread from the warehouse, flames poured from the windows as crews doused water on it from all sides. Hot embers from the main fire blew to nearby structures, causing small fires that damaged six homes.

Fire trucks lined the nearby streets for hours after the blaze was brought under control. Bricks and debris were scattered on the roads surrounding the fire scene, where much of the warehouse had collapsed. Many of its outer walls had crumpled to the ground by the time the fire was extinguished.

Police began banging on the doors of nearby homes shortly after the fire was reported. No injuries were reported among the displaced.

The Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania set up a shelter and offered aid to about two dozen people who had been forced from their homes. By 10:30 a.m., most had left to see if their homes had been damaged.

Twenty-nine minutes after the fire was brought under control, an alarm went out for the trapped firefighters. Ayers said the department last lost a firefighter in 2006. The last time it lost multiple firefighters on a call was 2004. Nutter ordered flags in the city to be flown at half-staff for 30 days.

Ayers said the community was providing the fire department much support.

"Just as we give service to our citizens," Ayers said, "they're serving us right now."